The wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr. Nonye Soludo, has officially declared war on childhood killer diseases, flagging off a massive state-wide Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign this Wednesday. Speaking at the Iruzu Primary Health Centre in Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Government Area, the First Lady sent a clear message to residents: vaccination stands as the most powerful and effective shield to protect the next generation from permanent disability or death.
Represented by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oluchi Ibezim, Dr. Soludo emphasized that the campaign specifically targets Rubella—a dangerous measles variant that poses a lethal threat to children aged nine months to 14 years. She reassured anxious parents that while some children might experience mild, temporary reactions like a slight fever or minor swelling, these small discomforts pale in comparison to the devastating long-term impact of the diseases themselves.
This high-stakes health intervention sees the Anambra State Government joining forces with heavyweights like the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and UNICEF. To ensure no child is left behind, the WHO Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Chimuanya Igboekwu, revealed an ambitious plan to deploy teams across all 326 wards in the state. The mission aims to reach a staggering 2.7 million children, with health workers storming markets, churches, schools, and even the most difficult-to-reach riverine communities.
Dr. Soludo has now placed the responsibility on the shoulders of local government mayors, traditional rulers, and religious leaders, urging them to drive a 98% compliance rate across the state. Supporting this call, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, and the Executive Secretary of the Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Chisom Uchem, confirmed that they have already mobilized a robust monitoring and supervision network to track every single dose administered.
This latest move builds on Dr. Soludo’s long-standing “Healthy Living” crusade. PRMediaNG recalls that during the 2025 World Polio Day, the First Lady led a similar charge, consistently pushing nursing mothers to embrace immunization as a non-negotiable right for every Nigerian child. With 2.7 million lives in the balance, the Anambra State government is signaling that it will spare no resource to secure a disease-free future for its youngest citizens.
